Month of May 4 of 30: Alex Smith of The Bigsbys

Every day for the entire month, we’ll be asking (and publishing) 31 musicians the same question. This month, the question is: You’re playing a show in which you’re covering an album from beginning to end. What record do you choose to interpret?

Day 4 for the Month of May isAlex Smith of The Bigsbys.

For a complete list of other answers, find the main Month of May page here.

The Bigsbys recently released their album Good Will Suitcase, produced by Jonathan Tyler. Like The Bigsbys on Facebookhereand follow them on Twitter here. Watch/Listen to “Can’t Keep You Waiting” below.

You’re playing a show in which you’re covering an album from beginning to end. What record do you choose to interpret?

I chose Dark Side of The Moon because it’s my favorite Pink Floyd record. I know it’s the obvious one, but it’s just 45 minutes of pure creativity. Not to say that it’s better than any other Pink Floyd record. It’s just my personal favorite.

How many records did you think about before deciding on Dark Side of the Moon?

I’m very fond of Southeastern the new Jason Isbell record too. It’s so heart-felt and true that I would feel guilty every time I covered a tune from it. I think my voice and inflections wouldn’t portray the honesty that everyone picks up from it. So we’ve never touched it.

Do you think you’d stay true to the record as much as possible or would you try and really reinvent these songs?

I think some of the sound effects on Dark Side would prove difficult to do live based upon the setup we use now, but for the most part we would keep it true to form. It’s impossible to be Pink Floyd but it sure is damn fun to get weird and try [laughs].

Have you played any of these songs before in a live setting?

We take a part of the song “Time” and toss it in a blender with one of our tunes called “Train City Blues.”

Was this your or the band’s choice?

I think the guys would agree with me on that record. It’s tough to get 4 boys on the exact same page as one another, but Pink Floyd is a group we love and respect for a number of reasons.